Israel, much like the fortress of Tel-Chai that Jospeh Trumpeldor fought to defend against Arab conquerors in 1920, finds itself beseiged by enemies both within and without. Terrorists, would-be friends inside and outside Israel, and even bad government officials. Here are the discussions of one proud Zionist resident on the state of the nation and abroad.

Monday, December 31, 2012

Army group attacked by Haredi fanatics in Mea Shearim

Students of Bnei Akiva's Or Etzion army preparation high school were greeted with curses and dirty diapers while visiting the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shearim last Thursday.

The students, who were dressed in IDF uniform, were in the midst of a tour aimed at getting to know the haredi public, but some of the neighborhood's radical residents were unhappy with the idea.

After visiting Jerusalem's prestigious Hebron Yeshiva on Thursday, as part of tours introducing them to different groups in the Israeli society, the army preparation school's students began making their way to the home of a Hasidic community leader in Mea Shearim.

In one of the neighborhood's [alleys], they were faced by local residents who began chanting, "Nazis, get out," and throwing garbage bags and dirty diapers at them.

According to an Or Etzion source, the students proceeded to the rebbe's home, where they received a warm welcome, while the extremists persisted in their attempts to disrupt the meeting.

'Sensitive times'

An eyewitness to the incident told haredi journalist Yaki Adamker that before the visitors entered the neighborhood, they were warned not to arrive in IDF uniform as that could be seen as a provocation by local residents.

Oh, please. The classic blame-the-victim routine in motion. This is just more of the atrocious hostility for the military coming from a community becoming ruined by insular mindsets. What this incident also shows is that even religious soldiers can be targeted by these nutcases.

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About me

I'm Avi Green

From Jerusalem, Israel

I was born in Pennsylvania in 1974, and moved to Israel in 1983. I also enjoyed reading a lot of comics when I was young, the first being Fantastic Four. I maintain a strong belief in the public's right to knowledge and accuracy in facts. I like to think of myself as a conservative-style version of Clark Kent. I don't expect to be perfect at the job, but I do my best.